


Of Hair Colors and Gossip

by ferix79



Series: FFXV Fix-It AU- Everybody Lives [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fashion & Couture, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Gossip, Hair, Hair Dyeing, Implied Sexual Content, Kings & Queens, M/M, Makeup, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Multi, News Media, Polyamory, Talk Shows, Wedding Night, Wedding Rings, Weddings, everybody gets married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-17 01:53:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9299009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferix79/pseuds/ferix79
Summary: A brief history of style and fashion in Lucis, and the royalty that inspired it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in some sort of weird and vague everybody lives/nobody dies AU where OT4 is established. Noctis and Luna don’t die but they also don’t marry each other, Luna preferring to stay in Tenebrae and rebuild her own country (she marries Nyx because I ship that so hard). Noct ends up marrying Prompto because he’s the best option of the other 3 (it would be awkward to marry his top advisor or his bodyguard) and because they think the public of Lucis will love him. And they are right.

Since long before anyone could remember, the royal family in Insomnia had been the definition of beauty for the city. Anything the King and Queen wore? It was sold out immediately. Fashion designers imitated their looks endlessly, from shoes to shirts to accessories. Some citizens even colored and styled their hair or applied their makeup in ways to evoke and emulate a member of the royal family. 

During his rule, Regis began graying prematurely due to the stress of the crystal. He secretly mourned the loss of his sleek black hair, but his wife, Aulea, comforted him. 

“Haven’t you noticed? Gray is so in style right now. I’m sure you’ll still be the envy of all at parties,” she had said with a giggle, her long, naturally gray hair falling over her shoulder. Regis had to scoff and blush. 

“Surely the only reason I’m the envy of all is because I have _you_ by my side,” he said, moving to kiss her as she laughed again. 

After Regis and Aulea made an appearance together at a state dinner—arm-in-arm and both sporting definitively gray-not-black hair—gray became the latest “in” color seemingly overnight. Hair stylists and makeup artists scrambled to concoct the perfect combination of dyes or pigments of eyeshadow. Regis’ hair was dubbed to be a regal silver rather than gray, while Aulea’s was likened to the dark smoke of a fire or the clouds before a strong storm. 

(“Oh my god, Aulea, the biggest gossip publication in the city just called me a silver fox. Aulea look at this! I’m not even 40 yet!”)

The time between Aulea passing away and Noctis growing up was a time of mourning. Many kept their dark gray to honor the late queen, and Regis’ silver was still as popular as ever, but the older Noctis grew, the more black started to come back in to style. Noctis’ blue-black was all the rage for the younger generation, along with his messy, just-rolled-out-of-bed hairstyle. Effortless style and youthful beauty became the name of the game. 

Times were difficult for the makeup world, with no woman in the royal family to emulate. Then, at 15, Noctis appeared next to his father at the swearing-in of some new city officials. He looked sharp and mature in a pin-stripe suit, but the way his hair was beginning to grow just long enough to fall into his eyes still gave him a childish innocence. His large, baby blue eyes captured the city’s heart immediately. From then on it was all dark, angled and winged eyeliner; long black lashes; strong, dark brows and neutral lips and eyes. Many a makeup enthusiast envied the Prince’s naturally large eyes, and the few producers of colored contacts in Insomnia could barely keep up with the demand for light blue circle lenses. 

Then Insomnia fell. 

The refugees of the Crown City that fled to Lastallum and Altissa had to leave behind their fashions, their hair dyes and their colored lenses. As they slowly began to recover their lives in their new cities, the idea of emulating Prince Noctis fell out of fashion. Evoking the image of the supposed-to-be-dead prince in an Empire-ruled territory was not the brightest idea. Most resources were put towards survival and the war effort, so those that had so enjoyed fashion and style were either forced to conform to Altissa’s trends or use their skills in a more practical way in Lestallum and the remains of Lucis. Those who had survived the fall of Insomnia and still loved Lucian fashion did their best to preserve and document how it had evolved, and how it had died. 

It took many years of strife and sadness, then relief and rebuilding, for Insomnia and Lucis to rise again. Their beloved Prince, now King, Noctis was alive, as was his betrothed, Princess Lunafreya. Before the fall of Insomnia, the color and style of the future queen had just began to emerge in the fashion scene. Pioneers in the world of style bleached and dyed their hair to match the Princess’ sandy blonde and had it treated to emulate her soft curls and waves. All manner of braids had also begun to grow in popularity, from a simple over the shoulder braid to elaborate up-dos. Gossip, fashion and style magazines could only _dream_ of the looks that the Lady Lunafreya would wear on her wedding day. 

Years later, long after the blue-black dye and bleach blonde had grown out of everyone’s hair, it was with a sad fondness that Noctis announced he would not be marrying Luna. The idea of their marriage was just a byproduct of the Empire’s false treaty, and Noctis could not force himself or Luna to submit to the idea of a loveless marriage only based on status. He stood at a podium in front of the Citadel, some months after Insomnia had been restored and normalcy had begun to return to their lives, looking much older, and much more like his father, many were eager to point out. Were those a few strands of gray, just beginning to show their color through his longer hairstyle? They would just have to wait and see. 

So Luna’s blonde braids fell by the wayside of style in Insomnia, though the fashion world was still sent reeling by her beauty and elegance during her real marriage. She still wore the dress fit for a Queen when she was wed to Nyx Ulric of Galahd, a previously unknown, but nonetheless handsome, Kingsglaive soldier. 

Gossip mags puzzled for months on end, squabbling over potential options for King Noctis’ future spouse. It was obvious that he was exceptionally close to his adviser, Ignis Scientia, and his bodyguard, Gladiolus Amicitia, but most agreed that they were both out of the realm of possibility as Noctis’ spouse. Even political consultants weighed in, appearing on local and national news stations. No, they would certainly not see a Scientia or Amicitia on the throne. Both families had served the Caelums for generations; for the families to marry into each other was practically taboo. 

So who would it be? By the time Luna and Nyx’s ceremony rolled around, the media had run out of ideas. At least the wedding would be a welcome distraction from the unending and seemingly pointless speculation. Noctis and a small contingent of other Lucian officials attended the wedding, of course. The King had not announced that he would be attending with anyone; certainly not with a ‘special’ someone. It was largely believed he would appear with his adviser and bodyguard at his side, as per usual. 

On the day of the wedding all eyes were on Luna, looking flawless in her one-of-a-kind Vivienne Westwood wedding dress, and her equally handsome husband, soon to be crowned King of Tenebrae as Nyx Fleuret. But the attendee’s curious eyes and the paparazzo’s prying cameras couldn’t help but stray to the man that had suddenly appeared at Noctis’ side. 

Prompto Argentum, Noctis had introduced him, an old friend. As much as the newly wedded couple was caught on camera that day, so were Noctis and his plus one, Prompto. Ignis and Gladio were never far, of course, but the familiarity Noctis and Prompto shared with each other was obvious both in person and in photos and videos, broadcast far and wide in the days that followed. Never leaving each other’s side; standing just a little too close to be friends; small, familiar touches and glances caught between them when they thought no one else was looking; the way Noctis leaned in to whisper something to Prompto during the ceremony, and the subsequent faint blush that colored the blonde’s cheeks. They even danced together at the reception, though some pointed out that Noctis danced with Ignis and Gladiolus, too. 

The most widely circulated photo of Prompto was of his beaming smile, caught in the middle of a laugh at the reception dinner, surrounded by his three friends. Every paper, every magazine in Lucis ran that photo. It appeared on every newscast about the wedding, and every late night talk show, as the media had found their new obsession. Handsome, beautiful, and as bright as the sun were just a few of the remarks used to describe the blonde. A big, yellow sunflower in a sea of regal blacks and grays. 

Insomnia had it bad for Prompto Argentum. So, it seemed, did King Noctis. 

The media scoured years worth of photos and videos, pulling up archives that had been preserved from before the fall of the city. Photos of Noctis and Prompto from their high school days surfaced, revealing that they had quite a long history together. A few rare photos from the King’s grand adventure were also strategically published by the Meteor Publishing Company, a publisher known for its stalwart support of the King, the photos credited to a mysterious anonymous photographer. They painted a wonderful picture of the younger Noctis and Prompto as best friends and close companions, documenting their growth from teens into strong men who both defended their country from a great evil. 

The careful scrutiny of videos and photos from after the restoration of the city were also widely circulated. From random videos of King Noctis travelling to photos of him at the forefront of press conferences and social events, Prompto could always be found in the background, or walking next to the King’s adviser and bodyguard. How could the mainstream media miss this, political and social blogs pondered? It all seemed so obvious now, though the blonde did have a penchant for blending into the background. 

It was no surprise, then, when King Noctis announced their engagement three months later. 

“He brought me up to the roof of the Citadel one night, said he wanted me to see the full moon and the beauty of Insomnia all lit up at night,” Prompto explained days later, seated on the couch of Insomnia’s most popular late night talk show, his arm around Noctis’ shoulders and a sparkling ring prominent on his finger, “It was super romantic! But I wasn’t surprised one bit. He looked so nervous I thought he was going to warp off the edge of the building.” The host and audience laughed, and a deep blush colored Noctis’ cheeks. His shy embarrassment was endearing, but his love for the man seated next to him was painted all over his face.

And that was how blonde came back into vogue in Insomnia. In the months leading up to the wedding, the demand for Prompto’s sunflower blonde hair color skyrocketed at hair salons. Stylists debated to no end the perfect combination of colors needed to reproduce such a golden blonde. Natural, pink lip gloss and a rosy, glowing blush were a must-have look for any makeup kit, and some even went so far as to imitate freckles if they did not already have them. 

Prompto’s looks weren’t the only popular trend in Insomnia—Ignis Scientia and Gladiolus Amicitia’s hair styles and colors also became popular to emulate, especially for men. Dino—a popular Insomnian columnist and highly sought after jeweler—was well known for not only designing the engagement and wedding bands for the new Kings, but also for helping to bring the adviser’s sandy brown hair color into fashion. 

“If blonde is the new trend for the ladies this Spring,” Dino said, perched on a high stool on one of Insomnia’s popular fashion and style programmes, “Brown is the way to go for men. From a dark mahogany to a light tan, you can’t go wrong. Who better to draw inspiration from than the King’s closest friends and confidants, am I right?” 

Although Noctis would surely never marry Ignis or Gladiolus, his love for the other two men became more and more obvious over time. It was almost a taboo topic for some—not usually covered in the mainstream media—but gossip circles could just not resist the temptation to speculate. Was it his new husband’s influence, they wondered, putting the King at ease and helping him show affection more openly? Noctis himself caught word of such gossip occasionally, and he was just glad that no one would ever know what went on behind closed doors. They could dream all they wanted, he decided, but he would take his private life with his three partners to the grave. 

When the adviser and bodyguard showed up to the wedding, both sporting rings that were mysteriously similar to Noctis and Prompto’s wedding bands, curiosity got the best of one reporter who had to ask: “Those are some lovely rings that you and Mr. Amicitia are wearing, Mr. Scientia. Might I ask what they are for?” 

The alarm that crossed Gladio’s face was a picture for the ages, but Ignis took the question in stride. “Why, we’re engaged to be married, of course.” 

Aside from images of Noctis and Prompto, flush with the excitement of newlyweds and frosting on their cheeks from the wedding cake, Ignis and Gladio’s surprise engagement was the headline of all the biggest papers in Lucis the next day. 

“I can’t believe you would say that at their wedding, to a national news outlet, and without telling any of us first!” Ignis couldn’t help but laugh as Gladio weakly punched him in the shoulder later on, behind closed doors, after the wedding was over. Seated on the King’s bed—on _their_ bed—Noctis and Prompto laughed until they cried. 

“Come now, my _darling_ fiancé, it’s not as if this wouldn’t have happened eventually. And were you not complaining just the other day of all the marriage offers you had lining up from women?,” Ignis said, as Gladio collapsed on the bed next to the Kings, hands over his face, “Much easier to beat off suitors with a wedding ring on your finger, I would think.” 

Gladio still grumbled into the kiss Ignis leaned down to place on his lips. Of course he was happy, he was over the moon to marry Ignis, it just…wasn’t what he had planned for the proposal. 

“Stop your huffing and puffing, Gladio, it’s unbecoming. Plus, would you not rather spend the night congratulating our two _good friends_ ,” he growled, throwing a glance in Noctis and Prompto’s direction. Even unseeing, the look in his eyes sent a shiver up the Kings’ spines, “And helping them consummate their marriage?”

**Author's Note:**

> I can not believe I actually wrote this
> 
> Also yes the OT4 absolutely had a private wedding ceremony for all four of them before Noct/Prompto's wedding and you cant tell me otherwise. 
> 
> Both the makeup 'looks' were inspired by Noctis and Prompto's own ~*natural beauty*~. Noctis in CGI is to die for and Prompto is just cute all around, so. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed all my weird head canons.  
> [my tumblr](http://ferix-writes.tumblr.com/)


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